2 posts tagged “nagl”
*blows dust off the site*
Whoops, rather let this slip into the shadows over the last half year haven't I? Nonetheless, The Plan continues apace, with further developments and ponderings on the how-to-make-a-living-once-living-on-Skye issue especially. Let's look at what's been happening...
Plans for the second half of this year - particularly taking Gaelic lessons - were knocked out of orbit when we had to move house in late August, the second time in six months. Brought about by insufferable neighbour noise, the final, straw ironically came on our journey back from a June holiday in Skye when we realised just how miserable we were to go back to that flat. Thankfully we're now in a much nicer, quieter place further out from the city centre with gardens and parks on either side. We're thoroughly content here, and reckon it's as good as you can realistically hope for within Edinburgh (and within our budget). Nonetheless, the Skye plan remains as certain as ever, with the last few months bringing certain aspects into a little more focus.
Back in January I wrote quite a long post considering employment opportunities over on Skye, and it's never really been far from my mind all year. While I've made a few quid in the last 12 months from selling artwork, it's clear that I couldn't rely on that for any kind of serious income. I'm certainly not going to let go the hope of making some pennies from drawing and painting, and in the next few weeks I plan to completely replace www.jonnagl.com with a far more updated online portfolio, hopefully integrating Google Checkout so sales can be done directly with me rather than through an intermediary site like Etsy (which, in all honesty, feels like a victim of its own success these days as selling there becoming increasingly futile and frustrating). There'll be more of a focus next year on animal and landscape artwork, rather than the nudes that make up the majority of my recent work, and I hope those will be quite popular. All the same, unless I can be sure of bringing in £1400 a month in art sales - and that's not going to happen - I need to figure out how to pay my way once Skyewards.
New careers have been pondered, most seriously those based around sustainable rural development, but the cost of taking such courses isn't something that can be shrugged off, especially when I've still got existing debts to pay off. My earlier post rather dismissed my current occupation as being a likely solution - however, things have changed a little there. For one thing, I've been temporarily promoted (thanks to maternity leave) giving me greater responsibilities and experience which could help lead the way to a more permanent promotion in the future. Obviously the increase in pay is nice, but so is the sense of being more involved in the government agency I work in. From that perspective, the idea of leaving all that behind and coming in green (and inevitably lower-paid) at a new non-creative career isn't so appealing. But is there any way I could continue the work I'm doing now, remain on the same pay-scale and still move far away from Edinburgh?
Well, things are looking up on that prospect. The agency I work for recently launched a project on 'agile working', described in this (unrelated) document as "[enabling] people to choose between a variety of workplace options and locations, utilising hot desking, home working, hotelling and mobile working." The key words for muggins here being, of course, home working. Now, I'm not expecting anything to happen any time soon - we're talking about years, not months - but the indications are good. Viewed in tandem with the general direction the agency is taking towards dematerialisation, video conferencing and working entirely from digital files, I reckon that as things stand the most realistic plan for moving to Skye is to continue working for the agency from home via the internet. While it may not be the most stimulating of occupations - obviously I'd much rather be painting - it's certainly not objectionable, nor does the agency I work for bring with it any ethical dilemmas (unlike, say, a career with Qinetiq) and it's a subject that I'm now pretty well versed in.
And that in turn leads to the rethink I've had on further education. Rather than study something brand new, in the hope of using it to start a new career, surely it's wiser to study a subject connected with what I'm currently doing, especially given the positive potential of agile working. So, what subject would that be? Erm...
Why law? Well, it's very much connected with my job and gaining such a qualification could help improve my promotion chances at the agency, plus the knowledge gained from it would certainly be of use in the section I work in. Indeed, the fact it'll be to the agency's benefit means I've a good chance of getting help with a significant chunk of the course fees, which is a pretty big deal. The 'six years' figure is sobering - if started next year, it wouldn't be complete until mid-2014, a looooong way off, and even squeezing in a third semester brings it in at 2012 - but there's the chance that during this time distance-learning could become feasible (not that I've anything to base that hope on, but it's possible!) and, well, moving to Skye is for keeps. If being able to have a secure income once living there means putting the move off for a few more years in order to complete such a course in Edinburgh, I'd say it's worthwhile for the eventual result. Of course, I wouldn't be making such a decision alone, and the Lass's opinion is paramount and decisive. Anyway, applications wouldn't be made until summer 2008 so we'll see how things appear then - for example, if the agile working project at work decides against home working, those sustainable development courses will become much more appealing. I've got to admit, the thought of studying for a law degree is somewhat mind-boggling, even with the on-the-job experience I've had. If anyone had told me 10, even 5 years ago that I'd be considering taking such a course, I'd have assumed they were off their head on sherbet. After all, animation to law isn't the most natural of career progressions. Still, until a few years back I never would have imagined a life on Skye - funny how things turn out.LLB (HONS) LAW P/T
In this course, students are expected to gain a comprehensive legal education which promotes active and autonomous learning and develops the core generic skills sought by employers, namely: study skills, information skills, communication skills (both oral and written), information technology skills, and legal research skills.
Accredited by the Law Society of Scotland, the part-time LLB is comprised of core, option and elective modules. Listed below is a typical study programme. The year is split into two semesters, with students normally studying two modules per semester. Students wanting to complete the course in less than the six year duration may have the opportunity to take either three modules per semester or study during `semester three- (June to September). This is dependant on the availability of modules during this time and student demand.
Stage 1: Scottish Legal System, Contract Law, Consumer Law, Constitutional Law 1
Stage 2: Criminal Law 1, Delict 1, European Law, Criminal Law 2 (optional)
Stage 3: Employment Law 1, Introduction to Property Law (optional), Fundamentals of Taxation (optional), Business Law (optional)
Stage 4: Legal Research Methods, Company Law A (optional), Constitutional Law 2 (optional), Property Conveyancing and Trusts (optional)
Stage 5: Family Law 1, Jurisprudence, Law of Evidence (optional), Law of Succession (optional)
Stage 6: 4 other option or elective modules from the University Catalogue.
Well, here we are, first post time on a new website. Hello. This is Over The Hills And Far Away and it's going to run alongside Falling Sky for the foreseeable future. But why the deuce have I set up a second blog when I have enough trouble keeping the existing one interesting? Well, see, there's a purpose to this one. Really.
See, it's about a plan. Plans are good. This one's great. At the end of it, the Lass & I will be living on the Isle of Skye in a newly-built eco-house. We'll have a good, reliable source of income. We'll be growing vegetables in the garden. There'll be a cat or three prowling around the land, maybe a beehive and some chickens. Solar panels on the roof and heat from deep in the ground will warm our water. A windmill will catch the wind that blows over & around the island, sending power back into the Grid. We'll be able to speak and write in Gaelic. There'll be a car, but it won't be used all that much. I'll be producing paintings and prints on a regular basis, selling to both buyers online and in person. Our home will be filled with books, records, CDs, artworks and photographs. Some nights it'll be full of people, eating, talking, laughing, drinking. Others it'll seem almost silent, a little outpost of light and warmth, a refuge from a disintegrating world. Always, it'll be ours.
Good plan, innit? But how in green gables do we make it happen? That's where this site comes in. It'll be a bit like a del.icio.us page, a repository for links, books, information, anything that may be of use. But it'll also be a record of the various paths it'll take to get there, from learning a new language to learning to drive, job-hunting to plot-hunting, the building of a house and the development of a garden. That's a hell of a lot to think about, especially here, right at the beginning. It'll probably be years before substantial moves are made, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do right now. The first practical step is to learn Gaelic, which I intend to start in 2007, so you'll be hearing about that one way or another. In the background I'll slowly be paying off debts and learning to be a better, more prosperous artist - any major developments will be hollered about here, no doubt about that. And any useful books or texts relating to all of the above will be covered here, partly to make sure I don't forget anything important, partly so anyone wishing to do anything similar will be able to see what books are worth a read. And, through it all, I'll try to keep things interesting and enjoyable, rather than cold and dull, so even if you don't give a hoot about the road to self-sufficiency, hopefully it'll still make a good read.
Will it succeed? Will we succeed? Stick around and, over time, this is where you'll find out.
